[...] the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our imagination, should not be considered as subversive of the theory.-Darwin

I'm an animator and have TONS of creative energy to share with people so I'd like to help make this go somewhere. The serious folks will stick with it if we can just get something started. I'm willing to keep prodding this thread for participants and input if others will join in and I'll do it till the dyin' end. Who's with me?

I love wacky stuff and parodies and when I get a good idea to work with things can happen pretty quickly. What slows me down the most is not having enough artists, extras or voice actors who are willing, or technically able, to help with sharing audio and video or artwork and photos. If you can help with these things then PLEASE COME FORWARD AND SPEAK UP!

Because making a movie requires a great deal of money I have two solutions, if you'll allow me to participate as a producer, that may work for a zero budget film. I'm most interested in having some fun with others who want to create something together so I have been looking for a group of people who want to do something like this. If enough people are sincere and show integrity I would be happy to share my energy and have friends who would most likely join in as well.

I love this sort of direction:

EarthRise wrote:Idea! The movie follows the life of a poor pirate roaming the Mediterranean, arrested at ports for his reputation, giving candy to children furtively, and trying to understand why he is so misunderstood. Then, the FSM comes to him upon his ship when he is drinking himself into a stupor on rightfully bought rum, and he understands. He goes to the ports and preaches of the FSM, and soon equal rights for all pirates becomes not only a vision, but a truth!

Starting with a rich back story, told from a narrative perspective (at times, perhaps), related stories about the modern day pirate movement and those of the future that finally bring an end to global warming and a bowl of pasta on everyone's table.

Let's put an outline together and start telling a story. Obviously writers are going to be what starts it off. Look through the creative elements of this forum to find inspiration that's original and includes the FSM/Venganza community of pirates and other opinionaters. Get everyone involved.

The Continuous Salty Tale is a good example of original art that can inspire. I think this whole forum is full of characters and stories as well as people willing to help so what do you say?

^ What do you think we are capable of? I'm not just talking about an animated short or a video clip here, I want to see a full length movie with a great story come out of this. Something that will get some attention. I think we can do anything.

This brings us back around to the two solutions I mentioned but still haven't elaborated on. The choices really come down to the quality of the finished piece vs. what people's skills and talents will be available. To do this without a budget isn't difficult but it does make the two choices balance on talent and resources, and that means people. Consider this, what is more available when it comes to characters, costumes or props, that can be created (drawn) versus things or people that are on hand (purchased)? It's artists vs. actors.

1) A Real Life Animation made with Artists (Cartoon)It seems we already have some Flash users and graphic artists abound so being the least costly it may the best means toward our end. A storyboard can easily be integrated with a input from artists to create scenes and characters. This will also give everyone, at any skill level, a chance to participate.

PROS:No special equipment is required (except for computers and possibly a microphone)Drawn props and characters are easy to find and dont need to be bought.Files are light weight, easily shared and it's simple to implement standards (size, resolution, palette).

CONS:The movie will be a cartoon animation. That's probably fine with most people.Not everyone who wants to participate will have access to Flash.

2) A Real Life Movie made with Actors (Video)The other idea would be to have the folks with video capture ability work on scenes separately and compile the edited pieces to match a detailed storyboard. Each person (or group) would be responsible for directing and filming their scene to work with a predetermined layout. This will give videographers and actors a chance to shine.

PROS:Friends can sit in as extras and actors. They are also the voice overs.Greater detail and richness can be achieved with skilled camera work and sets.Location shoots will add a cultural aspect to the overall scene.

CONS:A minimum of costly equipment and technical skill is required. (video camera, microphones, operators & video software)Files will be larger, harder to share and keep to a standard. It will be difficult to get a consistent audio track.

Stop motion and 3D/CG animation will inevitably be used to some extent but it's hard to find enough people to make that happen for a whole movie. Anyone who has skills to share in this regard are definitely welcome to come aboard.

With no money, Option 1 is certainly doable but so is Option 2. Option 2 just takes more resources, time and more people who are willing to volunteer. Many of these drawbacks will inevitably be compromised with quality in the end product but the same quality is compromised with Option 1 because it requires a great deal of work from the artists involved. Where do we find the skills and talents we need?

Folks with no drawing or acting ability can still help with voice overs (Dutch accents are a PLUS!), writers and brainstormers are ABSOLUTELY NEEDED, and dont forget about your musical talents...we'll need theme music as well as sound effects. There's something here for everyone.

I like the pirate idea by EarthRise.
I think it also would be better if it would have FSM himself in it.
And one of the pastafarians dies and goes to heaven, so the heaven would be featured in the movie too.

I love Hal Foster's style of art and this film's use of lighting and talented "camera work".
The details and textures, backgrounds, characters and musical score are all nicely done.
Artistically, this is what I envision. Any thoughts?

Maybe the story and the telling will also inspire those who want to write or develop characters.